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“We’re ordinary people with huge dreams just like everyone else! We took a huge leap of faith and we decided that we wanted to pursue our dream jobs, and Caked with Love was born.”

Business partners, Marvic Abarra and Eileen Manalo came from very unique backgrounds, and backgrounds that didn’t quite pave the way for them to open a bakery. Marvic studied in environmental studies and geography, and Eileen studied engineering and worked in the construction industry, but the two entrepreneurs had different passions.

While Marvic was working a part-time job as a barista at university, and Eileen was baking any chance she could. Eventually the two came together and formed a partnership when they realized that their dreams of owning their own coffee shop and bakery fit together perfectly.

Caked With Love Co. is a cornerstone café and bakery located in Winnipeg, Manitoba that serves carefully handcrafted espresso drinks, cake treats made with extra love, and a daily dose of encouragement. Their goal is to provide an inviting and welcoming place to relax, as well as support local artists and businesses by featuring their artwork on the walls of their café. “Each month we have a different artist come in and showcase their artwork to the community,” they share. “We also support local businesses by partnering with them, whether it is through cross promotions or bringing their products into our shop.”

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Marvic and Eileen have reaped the rewards of having their own business because most importantly, they love what they do. Marvic explained that, “If someone asked me what I would do if money wasn’t an issue, my answer would be, ‘Making coffee and serving people.’” And Eileen’s answer wouldn’t be far off about baking.

But although passion goes along way when starting a business, it didn’t stop them from having learning curves they had to overcome on route. Both partners didn’t have business experience, so learning the backend of operating a business was a huge learning curve for them. “Because we are unaware of certain things, we’ve been caught off guard a few times,” Mavric explained. “There are so many rules and regulations of running a business in general like GST, workers comp, legal matters, etc. that we know nothing about… but we’re learning every day!”

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With the many lessons the pair has had to learn, and sometimes the hard way, they mentioned the importance of asking for help and seeking advice from people who have been there. “We are very lucky and blessed to be so well connected with people who are in and have been in our field, and all it took was asking for advice and help.”

Caked with Love couldn’t have come up with a better name for their business, because in everything they do, you can tell it’s done with passion and love for their business and industry.

You can follow Caked with Love on Instagram to see their daily specials and yummy treats here.

Written By: Lauren Marinigh, Social Media & Content Creation Coordinator

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